Apr 7, 2016 - 1 min read

Uncovering Art on Ogijima Island

Some of the island's art for Setouchi Triennale 2016

By Jaclynn Seah

Community writer

Ogijima is a rather small island with most of the artworks found in the town around the port. I took a ferry from Takamatsu, which also made a stop at neighbouring island Megijima before reaching Ogijima, about 40mins away.

Ogijima's Soul by Jaume Plensa is the first thing you see when you disembark from the ferry and quite a modern contrast to the traditional houses of the town behind it. It also houses the festival information and shop counters.

Memory Bottle by Mayumi Kuri features a very large collection of jars suspended from the ceiling, each filled with a memory from an island resident.

Look for these colourful walls by Rikuji Makabe. They are made of various scrap materials found around the island and brighten up the walls in different spots around the town.

Kaleidoscope Black & White by Takeshi Kawashima & Dream Friends is an entire room covered in intricate black and white artwork. The use of moving images and mirrors makes it particularly trippy.

Akinorium by Akinori Matsumoto is an experience that has to be felt - it's hard to adequately describe this audio and kinetic installation where various instruments automatically play around you.

Sea Vine by Haruki Takahashi looks like an installation of paper flowers, but make no mistake, that is actually porcelain that you are looking at - the detail is exquisite

Organ by Tomoko Taniguchi looks like those pipe telephones you play with in the playground. I would love to know if it actually works!

Rotation - Revolution by Lin Tianmiao is as straightforward as its name implies - it's a collection of household items rotating in various ways.

Ogijima is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea area that is about 40mins by ferry from Takamatsu. It is also one of the participating islands in the Setouchi Triennale, an arts festival that takes place every three years. I had just two hours to spend on this island before I had to catch my next ferry - thankfully most of the works are concentrated around the main village area, and while I didn't get to see every single artwork, here is what I checked out in my short time there. The Triennale runs for several consecutive weeks in Spring, Summer and Autumn, with some additional works only ready for show in the later seasons.

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By Jaclynn Seah

Community writer

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David Billa 9 years ago

Glad you enjoyed Ogijima, even if two hours is definitely not enough to really experience it properly.

Jaclynn Seah Photographer 9 years ago

it's not at all! I recommend at least spending an entire morning or afternoon there if possible. Based on ferry timings, I think 4 hours would work much better!

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